I founded Studio Holly Brubach in 2001 as a vehicle for my work with companies and institutions, facilitating their efforts to create a clear, concise brand identity and communicate it through every aspect of their operations: from strategic planning, product design and presentation, special projects and programming, to images, advertising, and media relations. My approach draws on my skills and experience as a writer, with a focus on language and its power to inspire. Over the course of a series of interviews and guided conversations, corporate executives and creative teams build consensus by articulating the stories they use to define themselves–both in-house and to the world. As a cultural critic, I encourage a broad perspective, positioning a brand not just within its particular sector but in the context of prevailing developments and evolving themes across a wide variety of categories, including politics, visual arts, performing arts, architecture and urban planning, travel, fashion, interiors, and food.
In my dealings with companies and even with non-profit institutions, I’ve often been struck by the divide between creative teams and corporate executives. The mistrust and lack of understanding is usually mutual. Many businesses pit the irresponsible artists and the clueless bean counters against each other, in the mistaken belief that their antagonism serves some greater check-and-balance purpose. I like to dismantle this notion and the assumptions that underlie it, demonstrating how the best executives are creative in their thinking and how the best creative teams enable a company to talk to the world.
Past and present clients include: YOOX.com, The Ford Motor Company, Birks & Mayors jewelers, Nike Europe, Banana Republic, Martha Stewart Living, Tsao & McKown Architects.
As a sideline to my work as a screenwriter and director, I also consult on documentary films, reviewing rough cuts and providing recommendations on structure, storytelling, and narration. Among the films on which I’ve consulted: Dancing Across Borders, Toscanini, The Byron Janis Story, The Art Bastard, and In Balanchine’s Classroom.